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GUIDE TO NEEDLEWORK, 

CONTAINING 

EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS FOR EVERY 

KIND OF STITCH, IN PLAIN AND 

FANCY NEEDLEWORK; 

TOGETHER WITH 

FULL DIRECTIONS FOR CUTTING AND 
MAKING UNDERCLOTHES ; 

TO WHICH ARE ADDED 

COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS IN EMBROIDERY 
AND BERLIN WORK. 






ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRA. 



L 



BOSTON: 

J. HENRY'SYMONDS, PUBLISHER, 
68 Devonshire Street. 



CO 



Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1S7G, by J. Henet SYMONDS, in 
tlie office of the Librarian of Oougre6S, at Washington. 



ANNOUNCEMENT. 



In presenting this volume to the ladies of America the 
publisher takes occasion to call the reader's attention to 
the " Lady's Book of Knitting and Crochet." This 
work has had a remarkably large sale, and has received the 
most favorable comment from the large number of ladies 
who have studied its pages ; and a copy of it should be in 
the hands of every lady interested in the feminine arts. 
It is published in the same style and at the same price 
as this volume. 

The publisher has in press and will soon issue the 
"Guide to Honiton Lace Making," a new artistic in- 
dustry for the ladies of America ; this work will be very 
fully illustrated, and will be published uniform in style and 
price with the two works already issued. 

This work will be followed by several books valuable to 
all ladies who are interested in fancy work, including : — 

A Guide to Fancy Leather Work, 

A Guide to Tatting, 

A Guide to Knitting and Netting, 

A Guide to Point Lace Making, 
and numerous other works of equal interest to ladies. 

These books will be uniform in style and price, and will 
be for sale by booksellers, news-agents, and dealers in trim- 
mings, or will be mailed on receipt of 50 cents, by the 
publisher. New England News Co. of Boston, and 
American News Co. of New York, will supply the trade. 

J. HENRY SYMONDS, 
No. 68 Devonshire Street, - BOSTON, M.A SS. 



PREFACE 



The importance of instructions in the art of plain and 
fancy needlework cannot be over-estimated in this age. It 
is rare even now to find a good needlewoman among young 
ladies, and danger exists that the children of the present 
day will grow up without having acquired the mechanical 
regularity and intelligent hand requisite for a really good 
worker. 

Needlework, by training the hands to activity, prepares 
those hands for future usefulness, not only in the art of 
needlework, but in all those pursuits which are essentially 
woman's work, and which add to the comfort and econ- 
omy of the household, 

The habit of occupying spare moments with needlework 
is a most useful one to acquire, leaving no instant to be 
filled by the mischief often found " for idle hands to do." 

The explicit instructions in these pages will, the pub- 
lisher feels, commend themselves to all. The illustrations 
are profuse, and so much in detail that the most inexperi- 
enced can understand them. 

The Publisher. 



GUIDE TO NEEDLEWOKK. 

ON WORKING IMPLEMENTS. 

Needlework is very hard indeed for young children. 
It is, in consequence, of gre„at importance to give much 
attention to several little details which, if carelessly 
passed over, may prove insurmountable obstacles to the 
best efforts of many hesitating little fingers. 

i st. Clean Hands. — Teachers should always take 
care that children begin to work with perfectly clean 
hands. They cannot be taught too early to care about 
the neatness of their work ; besides, rusty needles are the 
unavoidable consequence of moist or dirty hands, and 
anybody who ever sewed, knows how impossible it is to 
work with a creaking needle. 



2nd. Thimbles. — These must exactly fit the finger. 
It is very uncomfortable for a child to work with a 
thimble which turns on the finger ; if the superfluous 
space was filled with paper or rag, it would render it too 
heavy, and might catch the cotton. 

3rd. Needles. — Needles must be chosen of good 
quality. Those with egg-shaped eyes are the easiest to 
thread. They must have long taper points, as it is next 
to impossible to work stiff material with a conical-pointed 
needle, without pricking one's finger at each stitch. 
They must be large enough to draw the cotton through 
the material without the least effort. For children, short 
needles would be preferable, as being more proportionate 
to their short fingers. It is as difficult to a child of seven 
or eight to work with a middle-sized needle as it would 
be to a woman to sew with a darning-needle. 

A small pincushion, the size of a walnut, filled with 
emery or glass powder, is necessary to children, especially 
in summer when their hands are moist, to repolish the 
needle when it begins to creak. Needles should always 
be passed and rubbed through this pincushion before 
being returned to the needlebook or needlecase. 

Of the last, the flannel needlebook is much preferable 
to the wooden or ivory needlecase, which blunts the 
needles' points. 

4th. Cottons. — These should be chosen even, and not 
over-twisted. It is a good practice, before threading a 
needleful, to pull it gently through the left hand's fore- 



finger and thumbnails. It slightly untwists it and prevents 
knots. Children should be taught to give a slight 
rotatory motion to their needle, twisting it inwards 
between the thumb and forefinger, every few stitches, 
so as to maintain the cotton sufficiently untwisted and 
thus prevent it from curling and knotting. 

5th. Pincushions. — Lead pincushions are extremely 
convenient for pinning the work, but they would be 
difficult to procure in large schools, and pinning on the 
knee is never to be allowed, on account of the fatiguing 
stooping it causes. However, each child might easily be 
provided with a piece of coarse tape to be tied across and 
underneath the table and the work pinned to it. Chil- 
dren, when first learning needlework, have enough to do 
with getting used to the thimble, holding the needle 
properly and trying to make their stitches even, without 
being troubled with great difficulty of working with their 
work loose in their hands. Moreover, for the great 
majority of girls, it is most important to learn to work 
fast as well as neatly ; and it is impossible to work as fast 
when the work is loose as when it is pinned down in 
some way. 

As to the children for whom needlework in afterlife 
will only be an amusement, as soon as they have mastered 
the first difficulties, they may be made to sew with their 
work unfastened. It must, in this case, be tacked firmly 
or pinned together at short intervals. The work must be 
held tight and straight over the fore and middle finger by 



the thumb and third finger. This will prevent the puck- 
ering, and a slight upraising of the middle finger every 
time the needle is inserted will allow it to pass through 
the material without scratching the forefinger. Children 
should be made to work slowly, practising carefully this 
motion of the middle finger, which will soon become 
mechanical, and will preserve the forefinger from the ugly 
and often painful marks so common among needlewomen. 

6th. Materials. — Regularity being the chief requisite 
in needlework, it is essential that the work itself affords 
some guidance to children of the same kind as the riding 
of their copy-books. Thus, canvas at first, and then 
coarse linen or brown holland on which the threads can 
easily be counted, must be used by them for the practice 
of the different stitches until they are become sufficiently 
proficient in regularity and evenness. Regular large 
stitches look infinitely neater than irregular small ones ; 
besides, the size of stitches is a question of fineness in the 
needle and cotton, whilst regularity can only be acquired 
by careful training of the eye and hand. 

Teachers should be careful to exercise their pupils upon 
materials of which the texture adds nothing to the diffi- 
culties they have to master. Stiff, starchy, glazed 
materials are to be avoided, or at least washed before 
using them. Too soft materials, which the sewing might 
pucker, should also be avoided. 

In the beginning, especially upon canvas, it will be a 
good jdan to make the children work with colored cotton 



*7 

It will please their eye better, and that is a very great 
consideration with young children. 

Each child should be provided with a work-bag marked 
to her name, containing her samplers, thimble, needle- 
book, scissors, &c. 

This will end the preliminary observations. Attention 
given to the points touched upon, will be amply repaid 
by the rapid propress of the pupil. 



RUNNING. 

Running is used to join together breadths of material, 
especially linen, longcloth, wool and silk. Upon soft 
materials it is easy to take up several stitches at once, but 
beginners had better take them one by one. They must 




No. 1.— Running. 



take care to make them all of the same size, taking as 
much material on the needle as they leave under it. The 
cotton must be strong enough to keep both pieces of 
material firmly joined together. When two pieces cut on 



i8 



the cross are to be joined together, it is preferable to 
make the stitches slanting, like hemming ; it will give 
more elasticity to the seam. 

All materials do not allow of a thread being drawn out 
easily to guide the needle. Even when they do, it would 
often be a considerable waste of time, and children must 
early be taught never to waste time. A piece of light 
cardboard or thick paper folded double and cut of the 
exact width of the seam will serve the same purpose. 
Being held firmly under the thumb of the left hand and 
slipping with it along the edge as the seam goes on, the 
needle being always carefully inserted by the side of its 
lower corner, the straight line will be quite correct. 

It is desirable in joining together both pieces of mate- 
rial. If it is thick, the pins must be placed very near 
each other, an imperceptible puckering being then almost 
unavoidable, even to a good needlewoman, without that 
precaution. 

Rnnning is the first useful work to be obtained from 
children. They can run together breadths of skirts, ot 
curtains, &c, long before their hemming or stitching is 
sufficiently neat to be at all useful. 

Running is sewing several stitches without drawing out 
the needle. In our illustration the needle is placed for 
running. Muslins, nets, tulles, and all other light mate- 
rials are always run. 



HEMMING. 

Children ought to be taught early to prepare their own 
work. So for hem-folding they should be made to 




practice first upon paper. When they are able to fold 
straight and regular paper hems of various sizes they 



must try upon linen or calico, holding the material 
between the forefinger and thumb of both hands, folding 
down a small portion of the material and marking the 
fold by rubbing over it the nail of the right-hand thumb. 
A slower mode of proceeding, but preferable when the 
hem is cut on the cross or liable to stretch, is to pleat in 
gradually the material with the right hand as soon as the 
fold is turned down and without marking it with the nail. 
This last way of proceeding is less easy to children than 
the first. 

After the first fold has been entirely formed, the 
material is again turned down according to the width 
required for the hem, and the fold marked by the same 
process as before. If the hem is at all wide and the 
material does not, by its pattern or texture, afford a guid- 




ance for making it always of the same width, it is better 
to cut a piece of strong paper or thin card exactly the size 
of the hem and to apply it as a measure now and then. 



The needle is then inserted slantways through the fold, 
the end of the cotton passed under the hem, to be worked 
over, and the hemming proceeds, great care being taken 
to always take the same quantity of material upon the 
needle, inserting it alwa}-s at the same angle with the 
hem and at the same distance, pulling the cotton just 
enough but not too much. It must neither form loops, 
however small, nor pucker the material in the slightest 
degree. 

Much of the neatness of hems depends upon the quality 
and size of needle and cotton. In plain needlework, the 
cotton should always correspond to the texture of the 
material and the needle be sharply pointed, highly polished, 
and just large enough to draw the. thread through the 
material without resistance, but not to form large holes 
where it is inserted. 




No. 4— The Boiled Hem. 

Another variety of hem is the rolled hem, which is only 
used for very fine work, principally for hemming muslin 



when it is to be edged with lace. It is a sort of invisible 
hem. The edge of the material is slightly rolled in by 
the left-hand forefinger and thumb as the hemming pro- 
ceeds, with very fine cotton. 



HEM-STITCH. 

For hemming fine cambric handkerchiefs the open- 
worked hem, or hem-stitch, is more elegant than the finest 




No. 5— Hem-Stitch. 



stitching. The hem is made very broad, about an inch 
wide. Several threads are carefully drawn out of the 
material. When a few only arc drawn out, the hem is 



23 

worked on one side only ; if several, it is worked on both 
sides (see illustration No. 6). Our designs show more 




No. 6.— Hem-Stitch worked on both sides. 

clearly than any explanation the various stitches which 
are to be worked. Great care must be taken to count the 




No. 7.— Hem-Stitch. 

same number of threads for each stitch. The hems are 
worked with lace thread, no cotton being fine enough. 




No. 8.— Hem Stitch.. 



Children should practice hem-stitch on canvas, then on 
coarse linen, before working on cambric. 



H 



SB WING. 

Sewing is always used for joining two selvedges 
together. They must first be pinned together from place 




No. 9.— Sewing. 

to place, and not rolled over the finger, but held quite 




No. 10.— Slanting Sewing. 

straight between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, 



fi**fifcM*m**y== 




No. 11.— Tlie Seam flattened out. 

to prevent puckering. The stitches must be veiy small, 
taking as little of the material as is consistent with firm- 



25 

ness, and very even and regular. The cotton must not be 
drawn too tight or else the seam would form a rib, which 
should be avoided. When the sewing is completed, the 
two pieces of material must be opened and the seam well 
flattened on the wrong side over the thimble till all the 
stitches show smooth and even on the right side. 

Sewing should be taught thus : — Give the child a short 
No. 7 needle and a short length of brightly-colored 
sewing silk ; every stitch is then seen, and can be taken 
out if not exactly even and regular. Silk is easier for 
children to work with than is cotton ; but the needles 
must be threaded for them at first, as they cannot thread 
silk without unravelling it in the beginning. 



FELLING. 



Felling is never used in dressmaking, but is almost 
exclusively employed for seams in underclothing, except 
for petticoats, of which the breadths are simply sewed 
together. Felled seams are generally made veiy narrow. 
They are used for joining together any two pieces of 
material or both sides of any one piece. The edge of one 
of the sides must be folded, as for a narrow hem, and the 



26 



edge of the other be laid almost close up to the edge of 
the fold. Then both are run together, so as to have the 




space of the fold above the stitches, as seen in illustration 
No. 12. 



27 

When the material is cut on the cross, or is likely 
to stretch when washed, it is better to do this with slant- 
ing stitches, like hemming. Then both pieces of material 
are opened and the seam well flattened over the thimble ; 
the fold is then turned down and hemmed. 

Care must be taken to fold evenly for felling, and the 
child should practice folding seams for felling upon paper 
before she begins to fold the working materials. 




No. 13.— Stitched and Felled Seam. 



Various stitches may be used for felling. The illustra- 
tion No. 12 shows a run and felled seam, No. 13 a 
stitched and felled seam ; but this seam is seldom used 
except for very beautiful underclothing, as the stitching 
being upon the wrong side, it is an unnecessary expendi- 
ture of valuable time and eyesight. 

The best workers of under clothing use the sewn and 
felled seam. 



28 

STITCHING. 

Stitching is the triumph of a clever needlewoman. As 
k is used for all the showy part of plain needlework, it 
must be practised with much care and attention. Stitch- 
ing is done thus : — Insert the point of the needle two 
threads back from the point of entrance, and bring out 
the needle two threads forward from the same point, 
carefully keeping on the same line. Our illustration, No. 
14, shows more plainly than any explanation the way in 
which the needle must be inserted in the material ; great 




care must be taken to bring it out always at the same 
distance ; and counting the threads of the material is the 
best mode of obtaining perfect regularity. Whenever it 
is possible to draw out a thread (for shirt-fronts, for 
instance), stitching is much easier. When that is impos- 
sible, it is a good thing to guide the needle with colored 
cotton tackings. 



2 9 

Another kind of stitching is worked with slanting 
stitches ; it is stitching worked wrong side uppermost. 
It is used when it is impossible to work on the right side 
of the material, and yet stitching is desired. 



SZ IP-STITCHING. 

Slip-stitching is so called because the needle must slip 
under the right side of the material without getting 
through it. The work is held as for a hem or seam, but 
the way of inserting the needle resembles more a long 




No. 15.-SUp-Stitchtag. 



overcasting stitch (illustration No. 15). This is much 
used in dressmaking to fix down lining neatly and to put 
on made trimmings. In plain sewing, the stitches are 



3° 

worked smaller and closer together (No. 16). When it 
is desired that the stitches should be invisible on both 




.:; • • ■ • 

No. 16,-Fine Slip-Stitch. 



sides, the needle must be inserted so that the stitches, 
instead of being slanting, should be quite upright, draw- 
ing the cotton as tight as it is possible without causing 
the material to pucker. The effect will be that of 
No. 17. 




No. 17.-Slip-Stitcb complete. 



3i 
WHIPPING. 

Whipping is used for gathering muslin, tulle, net, 
gauze, or other light materials. The edge of the material 




No. 13.— "Whipping. 



is rolled down by the thumb of the left hand as the work 
proceeds ; it is sewed in overcasting stitches with cotton 
strong enough to force the material into gathers when it is 
drawn straight through. The gathers are more easily 
formed when several stitches are taken at once upon the 
needle. Clever needlewomen whip, as they gather, any 
length of material without drawing the needle out once. 



32 



GATHERING, SEWING IN GATHERS. 

Gathering is no easy task to beginners. They will have 
to practise it for a long time before they are able to run 
on gathers quickly and regularly. 




Illustration No. 19 shows plainly the mode of proceed- 
ing. The needleful of cotton must be cut long enough to 
suffice for the whole length of the gathering, and it must 
be strong and soft enough to be easily drawn through the 



33 

gathers without running the risk of breaking or curling 
ilself into knots. The needle must not be drawn out 
until the whole of the material is gathered, the fulness 
being gradually slipped over the needle as the work 
proceeds. In gathering, the left hand does not remain 




No. 20.— Stroking down the Gathers. 



passively holding the material, it must help the right hand 
by regularly raising up and down the material, presenting 
it to the needle, which must of necessity be sharp and 
highly polished, so as to run through the material without 
the least effort, as all the beauty of the work depends 



34 

upon the perfect regularity of the mechanical motions of 
both bands. Great care must be taken to take upon the 
needle the same quantity of material as is left under at 
each stitch ; beginners will do well to count tbe threads. 
The fuller the gathers, the longer the stitches must be. 

After all the gathers have been run through, it is 
necessary to regulate them by marking them down one by 
one with the point of a needle or pin, as can be seen in 
illustration No. 20. This is called stroking down. 

After that, the gathers are sewn into the bauds with 
fine hemming (illustration No. 21) one by one, a stitch to 
each. 




No. 21.— Sewing in Gathers. 



This mode of sewing in gathers is used in plain needle- 
work, but in dressmaking, to gather a skirt for instance, 
another mode (No. 22) is adopted. The gathers are not 



35 



run through, but the fulness of the material being properly- 
portioned out upon the band by pins placed at short 
intervals, and the work being held as for overcasting, the 
thumb of the left hand pushes up gently the material, 
forming pleats more or less deep, according to the 
quantity of material to be gathered in a given space ; a 
double overcasting stitch fixes each gather in its place. 




No. 22.— Gathers for a Dress Ski 



When this is done, the gathers are joined together by 
large back stitches, taking them up one by one when the 
material is thick (see illustration No. 22, but taking up 
a few at a time when it is thin. 



36 

It will be observed that fulness or gathers of any work 
are always held nearest to the worker. 

Illustration No. 23 shows a double gathering. Great 
care must be taken to run the needle in an exactly parallel 



No. 23.-Double Gathering. 



line with the first gathers, and also to insert it before and 
after the same threads to keep the gathers perfectly 
perpendicular. 

When gathering material to form a bottillon, or fulled 
piece, the straight line must be kept, but not the upright. 
The stitches are then, on the contrary, carefully opposed 
one to the other. 



37 



BINDING. 

There are two ways of binding. One, chiefly used in 
plain stitching, consists in simply folding the bind, as the 
braid or ribbon is termed, in two over the edge of the 
material and hemming or stitching it, taking care to insert 
the needle through both sides of the braid. (See illustra- 
tion No. 24.) 




No. 24.— Binding. 



The other, used in dressmaking and for thick materials, 
as it must be first sewed on and then turned down, is 
more elegant, and is often used as a sort of ornament. 
(It is, for instance, much more convenient than bias — or 
crossway bands — for edging scallops.) For this mode of 
proceeding the braid is laid on the right side of the 
material as low under the edge as the binding is meant to 



3§ 

be broad. It is run on just at the edge, then turned down 
and hemmed on the wrong side. No stitches are visible, 
and it forms a neat rouleau. When binding scallops, 
care must be taken, when running the braid, to make 
sufficient allowance for the subsequent turning over, as 
the scallops would curl should the braid be drawn too 
tight. 

A good precaution, when using woolen braid, consists 
in previously soaking it in warm water and then hanging 
it out to dry. It will shrink then as much as it is liable 
to do, and will do so no more. When sewed on after- 
wards it will always remain flat, and will not cause those 
puckerings which are so great an objection to braid 
binding:. 



DARNING. 



Darning needs a great deal of patience and attention. 
It also requires neatness above any other kind of work ; a 
little practice will soon render it easy, if the above 
qualities are not wanting. 

When the object of the darn is to repair an accidental 
tear or hole, great care must be taken to make it as nearly 
invisible as possible. In this case, and for linen, cambric, 
and whatever other material of which the unravelled 
threads arc strong enough, it is best to darn with them, 
even if it was not possible to work more than one row 
with the same thread. The needle is inserted in and out 



39 

of the material, taking alternately one thread over and one 
thread under the needle, At the end of each row of 
stitches a little loop of cotton must be left, and the thread 
must never be drawn very tight, otherwise the darn 
would be puckered. If the edges of the holes are jagged 
and irregular, they must be neatly cut out. (See illustra- 
tion No. 25.) Great care must be taken on continuing 




No. 25.— Darning. 



the darn on the other side of the hole to insert the needle 
between the very same threads of the material. When 



4 o 

one side is completed the cotton is cut off, and the work 
is begun in the opposite direction, also beginning some 
distance from the torn place, taking care never to miss 
one thread or take two at once. In the next row the 
threads missed in the preceding are taken up, and those 
which were taken up must be missed in their turn. This 
rule must always be observed as well when working over 
the material as when actually darning the hole. A loop 
of cotton must, as before, be left at the end of each row. 
On transparent materials, such as muslin or cambric, all 
these loops must be cut off when the darn is completed. 
The great art of darning is to prepare the darn by laving 
the threads very equally and regularly, not loose nor tight, 
but just even, and then to take these threads up with per- 
fect regularity so as to restore as much as possible the ma- 
terial to its original state. 

Clever needlewomen, when darning damask linen, cross 
their stitches in perfect imitation of the material ; but this 
is no easy work, and should not be attempted by begin- 
ners. 

When darning is applied to worn-out linen, it would be 
a great loss of time to make such very fine darns. Thick- 
er cotton is used, and two or three threads of the material 
are taken up or missed at a time ; but it must be done 
very regularly, never varying in the number of threads 
once adopted. 

Cloth is darned with fine silk, and the needle simply 
passsed through its thickness, only coming out at the end 



4i 

of each row. Nothing is easier than making absolutely 
invisible darns in cloth. 

Every description of darn must be worked on the wrong 
side of the material. 

The darning needle and darning cotton, silk or flax 
should be carefully proportioned to the thickness of the 
material to be darned. 



HERRING-B ONING. 

Herring-boning is chiefly used for flannel, which should 
never be hemmed. It is a sort of cross stitch worked 
backwards. The edge of the material being folded down 
once, small straight stitches (the stitches used for running) 




Herring-Boning. 



are made alternately above and under the edge. Working 
thus, and always backwards, each stitch crosses the pre- 
ceding one. It is superfluous to say that the stitches must 
be made very regular, of the same length, and with the 
same interval between them. 



4 2 

MARKING. 

Marking with ink has become very general in England ; 
it is very expeditious, but does not look so nice as thread- 
marking ; besides, as it is not applicable to all kinds of 
materials, it does not dispense with learning the art of 
marking with the needle. 

Beginners should try first upon a piece of canvas, then 
upon coarse linen, and thus gradually learn to mark the 
finest materials. 

Good eyesight is required for such work, and therefore 
it should be practised in youth. Our illustration repre- 
sents marking on canvas to show the stitches more clearly. 




No. 27.— Marking (Cross-stitch). 



The needle must be inserted upwards from under the 
material, a knot having previously been made at the end 
of the cotton. Each stich is double, being composed of 
two slanting stitches crossing each other, and must cover 
the threads of the material in each direction. All the 



43 

other stitches must be crossed in the same direction, and 
the crossing go slanting up from right to left. When two 
or more stitches have to be made in a row, half of each 
stitch must be made at a time, their they are all crossed at 
once. 

Children must be made to copy all the letters of the al- 
phabet and work nice samplers of them. By the aid of 
these they will afterwards be able to mark any initials or 
numbers. 



FANCY MARKING STITCHES. 
CHAIN-STITCH. 

Persons whose deficient eyesight does not allow them to 
count the threads of the material, mark with chain-stitch. 
The initials are drawn in pencil upon the material and 
worked over with chain-stitch. 



!;m1n;M 



No. 23.— Chain-stitch. 



Our illustration shows clearly the mode of working 
chain-stitch. It must be made very regular, the same 



quantity of material being taken on the needle at each 
stitch, the left-hand thumb being placed upon the loop 
formed by the cotton when the needle is inserted in the 
very hole from which the cotton comes out. The cotton 
must not be drawn tight at all, otherwise the material 
would be puckered. 

CORDING. 

Cording is generally used to prevent stretching. Round 
an arm-hole and whenever it is placed between two pieces 
of material, the strips of material, carefully cut on the 
cross, are folded just in two, a piece of piping cord is 




Xo. 29— Cording. 



slipped in, and the strip is neatly stiched in together with 
both pieces of material. When the cording is placed on 
the edge of the material, the strip must only be folded half 



45 



way down, and the cord inserted within ; this allows for 
the hem. 

Beginners had best tack down the fold of the material 
over the cord, but that is unnecessary for practised hands. 

The strip must then be placed on the edge of the right 
side of the material, the corded side downwards, and be 
stitehed close under the cord, then the strip is turned 
down so that the corded edge alone shows on the right 
side of the material, and hemmed on the wrong side. 
When the garment thus corded is lined, the hemming: 




No. 30.— Ornamental Cording. 



must be done with slip-stiching, so that no stitches are vis- 
ible on the right side. 

Our illustration No. 29 shows the cording put on at the 
edge and partly hemmed down. 

Another variety of cording is frequently used as a trim- 
ming. It consists in inserting between two materials one 
or more rows of piping cord, more or less thick, and 
stitching it down, forming thus a series of ribs. Illustra- 
tions Nos. 30 and 31 show two of these ways of cording, 



4<S 



which can be varied as fancy dictates, form Vandykes, 
curved outlines, &c. 




Ko. 31.— Fancy Cording. 



PIPING. 



Another style still of cording has lately, under the name 
of pipings, been in great favor for the trimming of dresses. 




It is put on plain or double, and generally employed to 
edge bias or bands of material. Illustration No. 32 shows 



47 

plainly the way of making and putting on these pipings. 

Bias and rouleaux are modified or perfected bindings 

and cordings. They are also always cut on the cross, and 

form very neat and elegant trimmings for woolen and silk 




. 33.— Bias Border. 



materials, but they are not at all nice for washing materi- 
als, because they will often shrink, and always be flattened 
out of all elegance in the ironing. 



4 8 

Veiy great care must be taken to cut the material for 
bias exactly on the cross, folding together the selvedge 
and raw edge of the material, then cutting along the cor- 
ner piece thus formed, taking care to measure accurately 
all along the width of the first bias. This can afterwards 
be pinned over the material as many times as there are 
strips wanted ; they will thus be all exactly alike. The 
strips are next sewn together along the selvedges and the 
seams ironed flat. 

The sewing on of bias is no easy task, especially to be- 
ginners, when the material is soft and limp. It is then 
necessary to pin or tack the bias very carefully to avoid its 
puckering or stretching. 

When the bias is meant as a border or binding, it must 
be laid upon the right side of the material wrong side up- 
permost, as low under the edge as it is necessary for the 
intended width of the bias. It must be run very straight 
and even, then the bias is turned down and hemmed in 
slip stich on the wrong side. (No. 33.) 

This sort of bias is sometimes used as an invisible bind- 
ing for the edge of skirts of rich silk materials. Illustra- 
tion No. 34 shows the manner of putting it on ; when the 
bias has been run upon the false hem of stiff muslin gener- 
ally used for this purpose (but which our illustration does 
not show by far as deep as it ought to be) , and turned 
down, it is not hemmed on the wrong side, but is laid flat 
upon the right side of the material, muslin uppermost, and 
run a second time ; the false hem is then turned down and 



49 

hemmed with small but rather far-apart stitches in silk of 
the very same shade as the material. 




No. 34.— False Hem. 



Illustration No. 35 shows a bias four time folded. For 
this it is necessary to divide exactly the strip, leaving a 
little more material for the top and bottom hems than for 
the folds in the center. Much trouble will be spared by 



5o 



previously marking with long tacking stitches and differ- 
ent colored cotton the lines along which each fold of the 
bias is to be run. 




No. 35.— Four-fold Bias. 



Illustration No. 36 shows bias of two different materials. 
In this, as in No. 35, the top fold of the bias must be very 
neatly sewn down with slip-stitching. 




Bias of Two Materials. 



5* 

In No. 37 the upper bias is stiched down. No. 38 
shows a bias of thick material folded in such a manner 
that one side of it forms a piping to the other. 




Bias thus disposed are first stiched, then sewed on the 
garment by inserting the needle as low down as possible 
between the two ribs formed by the two turnings-in. The 




stiches must be small on the right side and longer on the 
wrong side. 



52 

ROULEAUX 

Illustration No. 39 shows the first process of making .1 
thick rouleau, No. 40 shows it completed on the right 
side, and No. 41 shows how it is slip-stichcd upon the 
lining on the wrong side. 




No. 39.— Thick Rouleau 




53 



No. 42 shows the mode of preparing a small double 
rouleau. When it is completed and ready to be 




41.— Boolean Half-Hade. 



sewn on the garment it is meant to trim, the needle is 




No. 42.— Small Double Kouleau. 



inserted between the two rouleaux, forming long stitches 
Underneath, and small invisible ones on the right side. 



54 

LOOPS. 
Loops are in many cases used instead of button-holes, 







No. 43— Xoop. 



especially for small articles of apparel such as chemisettes, 
babies' pinafores, &c. They should be made rather thick, 



111:;:!! 




No. 44.— Loop. 



55 

for they break easily, and fastened firmly on the edge of 
the material. Like button-holes, the loop must be made 
of a size exactly corresponding with that of the button it 
is meant for. The stitch is exactly the same as the button- 
hole stitch described above. 



B UTTON-HOLES. 

As can be judged from our illustrations, button-holes 
are susceptible of being varied in a great many ways ; but 
No. I being employed in preference ninety-nine times out 
of a hundred, and being in consequence the only one 
which children need learn, we shall confine our explana- 
tions to this, leaving to the clever needlewomen who 
might be tempted to try such curiosities of the needle as 
the others, the pleasure of puzzling them out ; they will 
find that easy enough, our illustrations being quite suffi- 
ciently plain. 

The place of the button-hole being marked, and its 
length exactly measured to the button, so that it is not so 






No. 45 Plain Button-Hole. 




5* 

large as to slip off of itself, nor so tight as to render an ef- 
fort necessary to slip out the button, the outline is run 
with two rows of contraried stitches, which must be made 
in very straight lines exactly parallel one to the other. 
The button-hole is then cut open and slightly overcast with 




No. 47.— Plain Button Hole, 



No. 48.— Fancy Button-Hole, 



very fine cotton, if the material is liable to ravel out. 
Then the needle is inserted from underneath at one of the 
ends of the button-hole on the left of the worker. The 
cotton (which has a knot at its extremity) is drawn out, the 
needle inserted again from underneath over the edge of 



^ 







No. CO.— Detail of Working No. 49. 



57 

the button-hole, and the finger slipping up the needle to the 
cotton, where it passes through its eye, guide the loop un- 





No. 6i.-Detail of Working No. 52. 



No. 52,-Fancv Button-Hole. 



der the point of the needle, from left to right ; the needle is 
then drawn out, and the loop closing upon the thread forms 




r 



•. ••'■ '■'-.'■■■- 



is 

Button-Hole Stitches. 




the pearly real button-hole stitch. If the loop was passed 
under the point of the needle from right to left, the stitch 



5S 

would be the flat embroidery button-hole stitch., which is 
not at all the thing for a button-hole. 







No. 55-Stltch for No. £6 Button Ilole. 



No. 56 Fancy BaCtoa-Hole. 



Sometimes, as in No. 47, where the button-hole has a 
weight to support, it is worked over a piece of thin cord. 
The ends of the cord cross each other on one side of the 
button-hole after having been thinned a little so as not to 
form an irregular rib. 

There are two ways of finishing button-holes at the end, 
either by working them round as in Nos. 47, 48, 56, 5S, 



59 

or by crossing them with a few stitches worked in a very 
straight line, as in Nos. 45 and 49. 




No. 57.- Stitch for No. 58 Button-Hole. 



No. 58.— Fancy Button-Hole. 



When button-holes have to be worked on material liable 
to fray or tear when the stitches are drawn tight they must 
be lined, and the lining and material carefully run togeth- 




No. 59.— Button-Holes on Lined Materials. 



er all round the button-hole, so that each stitch takes up 
as much lining as material. Illustration No. 59 shows the 
mode of proceeding. 



6o 

Illustrations No. 53 and 54 show two fancy button-hole 
stitches with which the button-hole can be worked round 
or crossed at the ends just as fancy dictates. 




Piped Button-Hole. 



Piped button-holes are sometimes used for very large 
buttons. Illustration No. 60 shows one in course of prep- 
aration, and No. 61 shows it completed. 




" } 



.:'. - ..-,.- 



Button-Hole Finished. 



6i 



BUTTONS, AND MODE OF SEWING 
THEM ON 

Mother-of-pearl and porcelain buttons need no explana- 
tion as to the mode of sewing them on. Flat linen but- 
tons such as are used for pillow-cases arc sewed on as our 
illustration No. 62 shows, with regular stitches crossing 
each other in the center. Then the cotton is twisted 
round under the button several times and fastened on the 
wrong side of the material. 

Buttons are so cheap that making them oneself is no* 
worth the trouble and waste of time ; yet sometimes it may 
happen, in the country, for instance, that they cannot be 
had just when wanted. In this case it is easy to work in 
button-hole stich upon a common small curtain-ring such 





62— Sewing on Button. No. 63.— Made Button, No. 64.— Covered Button. 



a button as our illustration No. 64 shows, or to cover again 
old ones as in No. 63. 



6i 

MODE OF SEWING ON STRINGS. 
"When the sewing on of a string cannot be seen on the 
right side, it is simply stitched on as our illustration No. 
6$ shows. 




But when it is seen, as in children-feeders, towels, &c, 
it must be clone according to illustrations 66 and' 67 ; the 



J-*?^- 





6«Tving on Strings. 



63 

the turning in of the string must be sewn in back-stitch so 
as to look like stitching on the right side. A row of stitch- 
ing at the edge and on the right side of the material com- 
pletes the fastening. 



TUCKS, AND MODE OF MEASURING 
THEM. 

The difficulty of making tucks is in the measuring and 
preparing of them, for they should always be of the same 
size and divided by the same space. The first tuck is 
made ad libitum, and must serve as a pattern for all others. 
The material is folded and pressed down so as to form a 
crease, then the doublcd-up part is folded down again as 
for making a hem of the width required for the tuck. The 
folded part is raised up and the tuck is run, like a seam, 
upon the second crease. The stitches should be particu- 
larly small and even. When one tuck is run, the material 
is folded down in the same manner as before, so that a 
plain space of the same width as the tucks be left between 
them. To measure the distance exactly, it is best to make 
a notch in a piece of card (as seen in illustration) to mark 
the distance from the top of one tuck to the bottom of the 
other. Our illustration shows one tuck completed, one in 
the course of the work, and one during the process of fold- 
ing. 



6 4 



For very delicate pieces of needlework, such as fine 
baby-linen, a thread can be drawn out to mark each tuck 




No. 68. - Tuck Folding and Running. 



instead of making a crease. The tucks can also be finely 
stitched instead of being: iun. 



65 



GUSSETS A AW THE MODE OF PUT- 
TING IN. 

There are two kinds of gussets. One (see illustration) 
is a square piece of material let in to give more fulness to 
a sleeve or other part of a garment. 




A gusset of this kind is always cut square. It is joined 
on one side to the upper end of the side of the sleeve by a 



66 



felled scam. The other side of the sleeve is afterwards 
joined on to the gusset and remaining part of the first side 
in one seam, felled like first. The gusset thus appears 
cornerwise in the upper part of the sleeve, as seen in illus- 
tration. 

The other kind of gussets is always small and cut square 
or three-cornered (a square cut in two) . It is placed in 
the opening of sleeves, of nightgowns, blouses, &c, to 
prevent the tearing open of the seams. 

When these gussets are not cut square, the edges are 
turned in on all the four sides, then the gusset is folded in 
two, so as to form a three-corned piece which is sewed in 
its place, in overcast stitch, the needle taking together, at 
each stitch, both turnings-in of the patch and the side of 
the opening in which it is fitted. 

If the gusset has been cut three-cornered, turnings-in arc 
also folded down on all sides of it ; the corner which forms 
a straight angle is sewed in, in overcast stitch, hall-way up 
;ach side of the patch. The remaining part of it is then 
jolded down on the wrong side of the garment and hemmed 
round neatly. 

PA TCII1NG. 

Patching must be done with great care, for it must be as 
invisible as possible. All the worn-out part of the mate- 
rial which may surround the rent must be cut out in a 
square or rectangular shape following exactly the thread of 
the material. 



6 7 

The patch is cut of the same dimensions as the cut-out 
piece, allowing an extra quarter or half-inch, according to 
the fineness of the material, for the turnings-in. At each 
corner of the space cut out of the material a slanting stitch 
is made just half as deep as the extra space given to the 
patch, and the edges are turned in. The material is then 








No. 70— A Patch, 



folded down all round the edge of the patch which is 
sewed in in fine overcast stitch. (See illustration No. 70) 
It must exactly fit the space left for it, and neither pucker 
nor cause the material to do so. It will surely fit in if care 
is taken to give to all the turnings-in, whether of the ma- 



6S 



terial or of the patch, the exact half of the superfluous 
length and breadth of the patch. 

If the patch has been put in woollen material or in a 
dress, there is nothing more to do but to flatten the .scam 
with a warm iron ; but if it has been put in linen, the 
turnings-in must be neatly hemmed down. 




No. 71.— A Cloth Patch. 



For linen there is another kind of patching which is 
neater still. The patch is put in with a felled scam, the 
felled part of the seam being ahvays formed by the patch, 
but the corners are very difficult to make perfectly straight 
and even ; none but experienced needlewomen will do them 
neatly. 

Illustration No. 71 shows the mode of patching cloth. 
The patch is cut of the exact dimensions of the piece which 



6 9 

has been cut out, as there is no need of turnings-in. It is 
sewed in on the wrong side with fine silk or cotton, the 
needle never going througJi the cloth, but taking in only- 
half its thickness. When the patch is entirely sewed in, 
the nap of the cloth must be slightly raised on the right 
side of the seam with the point of the needle. 

If the work has been neatly done the patch will be quite 
invisible, especially after having been ironed down. 



SEAMS. 



When describing running and felling we gave full expla- 
nation of the seams most generally used. Yet there are a 
few more, of which we give the diagrams, that we cannot 
pass over without mentioning. 




No. 72.— Hemmed Seam. 



No. 73.— Hemmed Seam. 



Illustration No. 72 shows the hemmed seam, frequently 
used for muslin or other very fine materials, and for joining 
together breadths without selvedges whenever a felled seam 
would not do ; as for petticoats, pinafores, white frocks, 
&c. 



70 



No. 74 shows a stitched seam. Scams are thus stitched 
when they would otherwise be in danger of being pulled 
open. 




-Stitehed Seam. 



No. 75 is a hybrid between a run and a stitched scam ; 
two or three stitches are run at a time, then the needle is 




No. 7o.-Hybrid Seam. 

inserted back as for stitching. This is the seam generally 
employed for joining together breadths of skirts. 




No. 7G.— Seam Rim ou Both Sidos. 

No. 76 shows a seam which is lightly run together on 
the right side close to the selvedges, then turned and run 
on the other side, just clearing the turned-in part. 



7i 

No. 77 1S called a Parisian seam. It can be used at will 
in preference to the hemmed seam, but its especial use is 
for the seams of silk mantles which are not lined. The 




No. 77.— Parisian 



seam is first rtin very near the edge on the right side of 
the garment, then it is turned down as seen in illustration 
and run again, on the wrong side this time. 




No. 78 is a seam used only for cloth, and belonging more 
to the tailor than to the seamstress. 



CUTTING-OUT. 

The best manner, for beginners of all ages, to learn how 
to cut-out any article of dress or underclothing is to prac- 
tise first upon paper. When the patterns thus obtained 
have been tried on and properly rectified, they must be 
disposed on a large table, or, when extremely large, on 
the floor, in such a manner as to leave as little waste space 
between them as possible, great care being taken to place 
them according to the width of the material which is to be 
cut-out from them. 

This proceeding will give the means of knowing before- 
hand the exact quantity of material to be bought. 



WOMAN'S CHEMISE. 

The necessary measurements for the good fitting of a 
chemise are : — 

1. The length, from the shoulder to half-way below the 
knee. 

2. The breadth of the shoulders. 

3. The size of the armhole. 

These last two measurements must be increased two or 
three inches, for a chemise had infinitely better be too 
large than too narrow. 

The quantity of material required for one chemise is 
twice the length of the first measurement — that is, from the 
shoulder down to half-way below the knee, adding to it 



73 

the width of the hem, twice measured, and the length 01 
the sleeves. If one chemise is being made one and a half 
or two inches more material must be taken for the neck- 
band, but when a certain number are made at once, it is 
better to cut all the neckbands lengthways from the same 
piece of material. 

Our diagram shows one of the prettiest styles of chemise, 
and the one most generally adopted. 




There are two ways of cutting-out chemises — with long 
gores or with short ones. Long gores are cut off one side 
only of the chemise and sewed on the other side, the sel- 
vedges being joined together with overcasting stitch, after 
which the back and the front part of the chemise are sewn 
and felled together on both sides. 

The short gores, which are more fashionable, are cut 
from both sides of the chemise at the top. They are cut 



74 

just half its length. They are joined together in the manner 
above described. Then the chemise is hemmed all round 
the bottom. After that the armholes are slightly rounded 
and the opening for the neck cut-out. An oval piece of 
material is taken out, the front part being hollowed out 
two inches lower than the back, and the shoulders being 
cut more or less broad according to the taste of the wearer. 
In the middle down the front an opening six inches long is 
then cut. A false hem is placed on both sides of this open- 
ing, that on the left side being simply hemmed as it must 
be invisible, one button being sewn on half-way down. 
The false hem on the right side is, on the contrary, turned 
over and neatly stitched all round, one row more stitching 
being worked one inch or so from the bottom. Then the 
front and back part of the chemise are gathered, the should- 
ers are left plain, and the whole of the neck is stitched into 
a band. Another button and button-hole fasten in front 
the neckband. 

For sleeves, gussets are gone quite out of fashion ; a 
more graceful and more economical (both of time and 
material) mode of cutting them is now generally adopted. 
The piece of material is folded double, in such a manner 
that both selvedges meet in the middle ; then measuring 
from one side at the bottom and from the opposite one at 
the top, sufficient width for filling in the armholes without 
any gathers, a slanting fold is marked from one of these 
points to the other, passing across the centre of botii sel- 
vedges. The material is cut along the fold. The selvedges 



75 

of both corner-pieces are joined to the selvedges of the 
sleeves just where they are placed, but taking care that both 
pieces be placed in the back part of the sleeves. 

The sleeves are then hemmed round and neatly put in 
with a felled seam. 

The chemise is then completed, unless some lace or em- 
broidery edging has to be put in as an ornament. Lace is 
sewn in overcast stitch at the edge of the neckband. Em- 
broidery on fine material is whipped and sewn on in the 
same manner. If, on the contrary, it is worked on the 
same material as the chemise, it is used as a false hem to 
the neckband. 



A SHIRT. 



The measurements for a shirt must be much more accu- 
rate than for a chemise. Too much breadth across the 
front, the neck insufficiently hollowed out in front, will 
cause it to puff out most awkwardly. 

The required measurements are : — 

i . The length from the nape of the neck down to a little 
below the knee. 

2. The length of the front, from the shoulder to the 
waist, and from the throat to the waist. 

3. The width of the breast, from one arm to the other. 

4. The size of the neck. 

5. The length of the sleeve. 

6. The width of the wristband. 



7 6 



Our illustration No. 80 shows a very plain shirt for a 
boy. The wristbands are very narrow, such as they must 




be made when cuffs are meant to be buttoned on them, but 
in that case it would be better to make separate collars to 
be fixed on outside of a narrow neckband. Separate col- 



77 

lars fit generally better, leaving economy of washing out of 
the question. 

Out of several different manners of making shirts, the 
best-looking and most generally adopted style consists in 




Ko. 81,-Back of Shirt. 



cutting-out for the front and back part two pieces of the 
same length. The back part being gathered in at the 
shoulders, as shown in illustration No. 81, becomes natur- 
ally longer than the front part. 



73 

An opening is cut in the middle of the front part from 
the throat to the waist, then the material is cut across at 
the bottom of this opening, leaving on each side about at 
quarter of the width of the material untouched. The front 
is then prepared. The most modern and most durable 
fashion consists in making it up into a perfectly plain 
plastron, a row of stitching marking the place of the old- 
fashioned front fold. This plastron is made either quite 
rectangular or gradually narrowing from the shoulders to 
the waist. It is generally made, as well as the wristbands 
and collar, of finer material than the shirt itself. The su- 
perfluous fulness of the shirt below the front is gathered or 
disposed into a double fold. 

Sleeves are made now without any gussets, being cut 
cross-ways in the manner we described in the chapter on 
woman's chemise. They are put in the armholes without 
any gathers. 

Waistbands are now made broad and wide enough to 
allow ot the hand being slipped in and out without unbut- 
toning them. 

Collars are made of several shapes ; the essential point 
for them is that they perfectly fit the neck. 



79 



CHILD'S CHEMISE. 



There is nothing complicated in this little garment ; it 
is made like a woman's chemise, except that gored pieces 
are not put in at the sides. The neck can be finished as 




No. S2— Child's Chemise. 



in illustration, or simply hemmed and a string run in. The 
sleeves are always made very short. 



So 



LADY'S DRAWERS. 

This article of underclothing requires but two measure- 
ments : the length from the hip to half-way down the leg, 
and the size of the waist. Our illustration shows suffic- 




No. 83— Lady's Drawers. 



iently the manner in which it is cut-out and made up. 
The back part is cut fuller and longer than the front. Both 
legs are joined together in front for a few inches by a felled 



Si 



seam, then they are hemmed or hound with tape on both 
sides of the opening. All the fulness at the top is gath- 
ered into a waistband. 

The legs are finished off in many ways. Some are 
gathered into an insertion edged with an embroidered frill, 
or else are trimmed with a number of narrow tucks, sev- 
eral rows of insertion, lace, or whatever fancy dictates. 

Children's drawers are more generally made up closed ; 
the openings are at the sides. Button-hooks are worked 
in the waistband for buttoning: on the bodice. 



MODE OF PUTTING IN WHALEBONE. 

Our illustration shows two modes of fastening in whale- 
bone. The fan-shaped mode is used in preference for 




No. Si. - Fastening "Whalebone. 



stays. A hole is bored in the piece of whalebone pre- 
viously to slipping it in with a strong bodkin, and the 



82 



stitches are put in so as to form a fan both on the right and 
on the wrong side. The cotton or silk used must be thick 
and of excellent quality. 

The other mode is used in dressmaking. The whalebone 
is not bored, and the stitches take just as much material on 
the right side as will insure their firmness, but no more, 
for they must be as little seen as possible. The long 
stitches are all on the wrong side. 



We shall carry these instructions no further, for the 
pupils who are come so far with us must now be clever 
enough to do without our aid. Practice, much practice, 
is the best word of advice we can address to them. 



GUIDE TO EMBKOIDEEY. 

The art of embroidering with cotton on linen, muslin, 
cambric, pique, &c, is very easy to learn by strictly at- 
tending to the following instructions. 

The size of the thread and needle must correspond to 
that of the material on which you embroider ; the needle 
must not be too long, and the cotton must be soft. Skil- 
ful embroiderers never work over anything, because when 
you tack the material on paper or cloth each stitch shows, 
and if the material is veiy fine, leaves small holes ; but for 
those that are learning we should advise them to tack the 
material to be embroidered upon a piece of toile ciree. If 
you work without this, place the material straight over 
the forefinger of the left hand ; the material must never be 
held slantways. The three other fingers of the left hand 



8 4 

hold the work ; the thumb remains free to give the right 
position to each stitch. The work must always, if possi- 
ble, lie so that the outline ot the pattern is turned towards 
the person who works. For the sake of greater clearness 
one part of the following illustrations is given in larger 
size than nature. Preparing the patterns is one of the 
most important things in embroidery, for the shape of the 
patterns is often spoiled merely because they have not been 
prepared with sufficient care. 



No. l.-Scallop. 



Illustration i shows how to prepare a scallop. Take 
thicker cotton than that with which you work ; never com- 
mence with a knot, and do not take a thread longer than 
sixteen or eighteen inches. The outlines of the scallops 
are first traced with short straight stitches. In the corners 
particularly the stitches must be short. The space between 
the outlines is filled with chain stitches, as can be seen from 
illustration ; they must not be too long, otherwise the 
embroidery will look coarse. It is in this way diat every 



85 



pattern to be worked in button-hole or satin stitch is to be 
prepared. 



?Ef- 



;W£5S 



A 



No. 2.— Double Overcast Stitch. 

Illustration 2 shows the double overcast stitch or 
button-hole stitch in a straight line. After having traced 
the outline begin to work from left to right ; fasten the 
cotton with a few stitches, hold it with the thumb of the 
left hand under the outline, insert the needle downwards 
above the outline, draw it out under the same above cotton 
which you hold in the left hand, and draw it up. Repeat 
for all the stitches in the same manner ; they must be reg- 
ular and lie close to one another. Great care should be 
taken that the material on which you embroider is not 
puckered. 

i 




No. 3.— Overcast Stitch. 

Illustration 3 ( Overcast Stitch) . The double over- 
cast and the button-hole stitches are worked from left to 



86 



right, whilst back stitches, knotted and satin stitches are 
worked from right to left. The stitch is worked in the 
same way as the double overcast, only the needle must 
never be drawn out above, but bcloxv, the cotton with which 
you work, and which you keep down with the thumb of 
the left hand. 



m^ "" 



No. 4.— Slanting Overcast Stitch. 



Illustration 4. The slanting overcast stitch is worked 
without tracing the outline,- always inserting the needle 
downwards — that is, from top to bottom. The needle 
must be inserted in the manner shown in illustration — that 
is, not straight, but slanting; insert it a little farther than 
the last stitch, and draw it out close to it. The wrong side 
of the work must show back stitches. This sort of stitch 
is used for the fine outlines in patterns or letters. 



S7 



Illustration 5. This shows the back stitch, the work- 




ing of which is well known ; it is worked in several rows 
close to each other. 




So. 6.— Point Croise. 



„•....__.__. 

No. 7.— roint Croise. 



Illustrations 6 & 7 show another kind of back stitch, 
called point croise, which is only used on very thin and 
transparent materials. This stitch forms on the wrong 
side a sort of darned pattern, which is seen by transparence 
on the right side, and gives the embroidered pattern a 



8S 



thicker appearance, contrasting with the rest of the work 
(see the lower leaves of the flower on illustration 45). 
For this stitch insert the needle into the material as for the 
common back stitch, draw it out underneath the needle on 
the opposite outline of the pattern, so as to form on the 
wrong side a slanting line. Insert the needle again as for 
common back stitch ; draw it out slanting at the place 
marked for the next stitch on the opposite outline, as 
shown in illustration 6. 




No. 8— Knotted Stitch. 



Illustration 8 shows the knotted stitch ; the simplest 
way of working it is to work two back stitches at a short 
distance from each other over the same thread. 



The knotted stitch seen in Illustration 9 is worked 
thus : Take about four threads of the material on the 
needle, draw the needle half out, wind the cotton twice 
round the point of the needle, hold it light with the thumb, 



draw the needle out carefully and insert it at the place 
where the stitch was begun, and draw it out at the place 
where the next stitch is to be worked. 





No. 9.-Knotted Stitch. No. 10.— Knotted Stitch. 

The knotted stitch seen on Illustration io is worked 
in nearly the same manner as the preceding - one. Before 
drawing the cotton out of the material hold it tight with 
the left-hand thumb ; leave the needle in the same position, 
wind the cotton twice round it, turn the needle from left 
to right, so (follow the direction of the arrow) that its 
point arrives where the cotton was drawn out (marked by 
a cross in illustration), insert the needle there, and draw 
it out at the place of the next stitch. 

Illustrations ii & 12. Raised satin stitch is princi- 
pally used for blossoms, flowers, leaves, letters, &c. After 
having traced the outlines of the pattern, fill the space left 
between them with chain stitches in a direction different 
from that in which the pattern is to be embroidered ; begin 
at the point of the leaf, working from right to left, make 
short straight stitches, always inserting the needle close 



9° 

above the outline and drawing it out below. The leaves 
on the flowers, as well as on the branches, must be begun 
from the point, because they thus acquire a better shape. 



No. 11.— Raised Satin Stitch. 



If you wish to work a leaf divided in the middle, as seen 
in illustration 12, you must trace the veining before you 
fill it with chain stitches, then begin at one point of the 
leaf and work first one half and then the other. 



No. 12.— Raised Satin Stitch. 




Illustration 13 shows the so-called point de flume 
on a scalloped leaf. It is worked like the satin stitch, only 
the needle is drawn through the material in a slanting 
direction. 



Illustration 14 {Point de Minute) . This stitch is 
often used instead of satin stitch when the patterns must 
appear raised. Wind the cotton several times round the 




No. 14,-Polnt de Minute. 



point of the needle, which is inserted into the material half 
its length (the number of times the cotton is to be wound 
round the needle depends on the length of the pattern) , 
hold fast the windings with the thumb of the left hand, 
draw the needle and the cotton through the windings, 
insert the needle into the material at the same place, and 
draw it out at the same place where the next stitch is to 
begin. 



02 

Illustrations 15 & 16 show the ladder stitch, often 
used in ornamental embroidery. Trace first the outlines 
as seen in illustrations ; mark also the cross stitches bc- 



!- l- - v : . " V l . rr-~-rTyJT-^^r'■ T ^■■^ ■ " ") fTr K -u_ .. I! r J | . g . . M y ..^ 



, 15.-Ladder Stitch. 



HSSBKRfjeiB'l -V. f- : . •.■-■^■1 k ■ -\ - /■ v //\ 




~JLJ 



No. 16.— Ladder Stitch. 



tween the outlines, so that the first touch the outlines only 
at both ends. The outlines are embroidered in overcast 
stitch or double overcast ; the material is cut away under- 
neath the ladder stitch between the outlines. 

We have now shown the different kinds of stitches used 
in embroidery ; the following illustrations show them used 
for different patterns. 




No. 17.-BuUou-liolc Stitch Scallop. 



93 

Illustrations i 7 to 30 {Different Button-hole Stitch 
Scallops). These scallops are prepared as above de- 





No. 18— Button-hole Stitcb Scallop. 



No. 19.— Button-hole Stitch Scallop. 



„-lcnjft>. 







No. 20.— Button-hole Stitch Scallop. 



scribed. Take care to have the stitches even and regular ; 
the scallops must be wide in the centre and very fine at 
both ends. 



94 



Illustrations 21 & 22 (Button-7iolcs and Eyelets). 
This kind of embroidery is used only in round or long 
patterns. Trace first the outline of the hole, cut away a 
small round piece of material, not too close to the outlines 
(when the button-hole is very small merely insert the point 




No. 21.— Button and Eyelet Holes. 




No. 22.-Btitton and Eyelet Holes. 



of the scissors or a stiletto into the material), fold the edge 
of the material back with the needle, and work the hole in 
overcast stitch, inserting the needle into the empty place 
in the centre and drawing it out under the outline. Some 
button-holes are worked separately ; sometimes they are in 



95 

a row ; if so, take care to begin to work each button-hole 
at the place where it touches the next. In the following 
button-holes the outside must be traced double, so as to 
reach as far as the next one, but each button-hole is fin- 
ished at once. Illustration 31 shows a button-hole worked 
round in button-hole stitch, 22 an eyelet-hole worked in 
overcast. 



No. 23.— Shaded Button-hole. No. 24.-Shaded Button-hole. 




Illustrations 23 & 24. Shaded button-holes are 
worked like the others, only they are prepared, as can be 
seen in illustration 24, so as to mark the thickness. The 
stitches must gradually get narrower or wider, and be 
worked very close to each other. 



Illustrations 25 & 26 {Two Leaves in Raised Satin 
Stitch). In a leaf like the one seen in 25 work first the 
outline and veining in overcast stitch ; work one half of 



'111 




■^fRI 


?$*.' 


wl 


sf ■ 


£''\»£"'H 


m-l 


L_._! 





-Leaf In Raised Satin Stitch. 



the leaf in satin stitch, and the other half between the over- 
cast outline and veining in back stitch. The stem of a 
leaf is always worked last. 




1 



No.2G.-Leafiii liaised Satin Stitch. 



(!&$& . L 

No. 27.— Raised Lejif. 



Illustrations 27 & 2S {Two Leaves in Satin Stitch 
Point de Plume). For leaves like the one seen in 2S 



97 



begin with the veinings, then work the inner points, then 
the outer ones, and lastly the raised spots in the centre. 
The leaf seen in 27 is worked, one half in point de plume, 
the other half in back stitch or point d'or. 





No.28.-RalsedLeaf. 



Illustration 29. The outline of this leaf is embroid- 
ered in overcast stitch ; the open-work veining consists of 
eyelets ; one half of the leaf is worked in back stitch, the 
other half in a kind of satin stitch worked without chain 
stitches underneath ; the stitches are worked across the 
leaf, leaving between two stitches an interval as wide as 
the stitch itself. The next row is then worked in these 
intervals, and each stitch begins half-way up the one before 
and after it. 



Illustrations 30 TO^z^Leafin Raised Embroidery) . 
This kind of embroidery is particularly beautiful, as it is 
worked separately and sewn on the material with an out- 
line in very fine cotton ; this produces the shade seen in 





No. 30. -Leaf liaised. 



&K 



No. 31.— LeafKaised. 



30 (see also illustrations 33 and 48). For such leaves 
work first one half in overcast and satin stitch (illustration. 
31) ; the other half is worked on a separate piece of mate- 



No. 32,-Ralsed Leaf. 



rial (see illustration 32) ; cut away the material along tire 
overcast outline, and fasten it on the foundation material 
along the outline which forms the veining on illustration 31 . 



99 

Illustrations 33 to 35 show a similar leaf ; both halves 
are worked separately (see 34) ; the centre is worked in 
open lace sttich. The latter (see No. 35) is traced, then 



M 



No. 33.— Raised Embroidered Leaf. 




f Leaf (S3), 



make ladder stitches across, work the outlines in overcast 
stitch, and cut away the material underneath the ladder 
stitch. The cross stitches are then worked in darning 
stitch with very fine cotton wherever two threads meet. 




No. 36— Blossom in Satin Stitch. 



Illustration 36 (JSlosscm in Satin StitcJi). The 
eyelet is worked in overcast stitch, tiien work the upper 



part of the blossom all in one piece as far as the beginning 
of the veiningr, thence the blossom is worked in two halves. 




— - — : — - 



"1 



No. 37.— Blossom In Satin Stitch. No. SS.-B*ad partly covered. 



Illustrations 37 & 3S (Blossom in Satin Stitch) . The 
raised centre of this flower is formed by ahead, over which 
the embroidery is worked. When the leaves have been 
worked one after the other, place a bead in the centre, left 
free in such a manner that one hole lies on the material, 
and work over the bead by inserting the needle into its 
upper hole, then underneath the material, drawing it out 
above the material close to the bead, and so on (see 3S). 



Illustration 39 {Star Pattern in Satin Stitch). 
The centre, which forms a wheel, is worked first. Draw 






■■:. A 



the threads across the circle marked by an outline ; in the 
centre they are wound round, always taking one thread on 
the needle and leaving the next thread under the needle, 
as can be seen in 57 on the half-finished pattern. The ma- 
terial underneath the wheel is only cut away when the rest 
of the pattern has been embroidered. 




No. 40.— Star in Point de Reprise. 

Illustrations 40 & 41 (Patterns in Back, Satin, 



and Ladder Stitches) . The small star in the centre of 
No, 40 is worded in point de reprise. 





No. 41. -Star. 



No. t'.— Flower In Satin Stitch. 



Illustration 42 {Flower in Satin Stitch). The 
fine veinings are worked with fine black silk in point 
russe, which renders the effect of the flower very beautiful. 




No. 43.-Eose In Satin Stitch. 




No. 44.— Petal lor Kose. 



Illustrations 43 & 44 {Rose in Satin Stitch). No. 
44 shows one petal larger than full size. The outer circle 



io3 



only is prepared with chain stitches underneath, so as to 
appear raised ; the inner circles are worked flat. The cen- 
ter of the rose is embroidered open work. 










L 



J 




No. 45.— Heartsease. 



No. 46.— Raised Flower. 



Illustration 45 {Embroidered Heartsease) . For the 
knotted stitch see No. 10, for the point croise see 6 and 7. 

Illustration 46 (E/ozvcr in Raised Satin Stitch). 




Illustration 47 (An Ear of Corn in Point de 
Minute) . 



io 4 

Illustrations 48, 49, & 51 {Bluebell in Raised Satin 
Stitch) . This flower is worked partly in separate pieces, 
as has been described. Illustration 51 shows the raised 





No. 48.- Bluebell. 



No. 49.— Inner part of Bluebell. 



part stretched out flat. When it is finished it is fastened 
down along the dotted line on No, 49, which shows the 
inner part of the flower. 



Illustration 50 {Flower in Point de Minute) . This 




No. 50.— Flower. 



stitch is here worked over a thick foundation of chain 
stitches. For raised patterns it looks very well. 



tts^ipA 








No. 51.— Outer part of Bluebell. 



No. 52.— Flower appliqued on Net 



Illustrations 51 & 52 {Flower worked in Afifiliqtie) . 
To work in applique, two materials, either similar or dif- 



io6 



ferent, are needed. You can work either in applique of 
muslin on muslin, or of muslin on net, or of net on net. 
Muslin on Brussels net is the prettiest way of working in 
applique ; we will therefore describe it : the other mate- 
rials are worked in the same manner. Trace the pattern 
on the muslin, fasten the latter on the net, and trace the out- 
lines of the pattern with very small stitches work them in 
overcast stitch with very fine cotton, taking care not to 
pucker the material. The vcinings are worked in overcast. 
When the pattern has been embroidered cut away the muslin 
round the outlines with sharp scissors, so that the net 
forms the grounding (see No. 52). The greatest care is 
required in cutting out the muslin to avoid touching the 
threads of the net. 




No. 53.— Border. 



Illustrations 53 & 54 (JVarrozv Borders) . It will 
be easy to work these borders from the above instructions. 
Observe only that on border 53 the outer row of scallops 
is worked first, then the button-hole stitch row. and the 



107 

rest afterwards. The spots are edged all round in knotted 
stitch. The wheels in the centre of the eyelets of No. 54 




No. 54.— Border 



are worked with very fine cotton in loose button-hole 
stitch ; they are wound round with the cotton in a second 
row. 




No.55.— Insertion. 



Illustrations 55 to 57. Three strips of insertion, 
Which are worked nearly like the ladder stitch. For No. 



ioS 



$5, in tracing the outlines, make two small knots at short 
distances by winding the cotton four times round the nee* 
die, as can be seen in illustration ; the windings are held 
down with the thumb of the left hand, draw the needle 
through, and a knot is formed. The outlines are worked 
in button-hole stitch only when all the knots have been 
made, and then the material is cut away underneath. 





.56. Insertion. 



No. 57. Insertion. 



Illustration 56 is a variety of the slanting ladder stitch. 
Illustration 57. The cross threads are worked in two row s 
in the common herring-bone stitch, as can be seen by the 
black lines on the illustration. The straight lines at the top 
and at the bottom are worked in double overcast ; lastly, 
the wheels are worked in a row as described for the star 
pattern, No. 39. 



109 

Illustrations 58 to 64 (Embroidered Initials). To 
learn to work initials the Roman characters are the easiest 
to begin with. They must be traced and prepared like 
other embroidery in satin stitch, only the chain stitches 
underneath must not be too thick ; it would take away the 






P^ 



iy 




Sl' ■- 




r f~ ■■ 


« V 







shape of the letters. All depends on the fineness and reg- 
ularity of the stitches ; they must be worked in overcast 
stitch. Work from left to right, and the letter when com- 
pleted must look rather like raised printing than like em- 
broidery. Gothic letters are much more difficult to work 



on account of the many flourishes ; it requires great prac- 
tice in needlework to embroider them well. Illustration 
58. — The small black dots are worked in black silk on the 
thick parts of the letter : the flue strokes are covered with 
cross threads of black silk. Illustration 59. — The outlines 
of the letter and the fine strokes are worked in black silk. 



^a 




Illustration 60. — This letter is embroidered in raised satin 
stitch and point de plume. Illustration 61. — This letter 
is worked in back stitches, over which arc worked at reg- 
ular distances cross stitches of black silk. Illustration 62. 
— Letter in satin and back stitch. Illustration 63 to be 



worked in overcast and double overcast. Illustration 64. 
— Letter G in point russe with black silk. 




^EP^ 



■jfS' - 



|;p§5 



Illustration 65. {Emhroidered Figures). They 
are worked like the letters in point de plume and over- 
cast ; the dots are worked in knotted stitch. 



GUIDE TO BERLIN WORK. 

Berlin Work includes every kind of stitch which is made 
upon canvas with wool, silk, or beads. The principal 
stitches used are common cross stitch, Gobelin stitch, levi- 
athan stitch, raised or velvet stitch, tent stitch, and others. 
The materials and needle must always be carefully chosen 
of a corresponding size. For common cross stitch and 
raised stitch Penelope canvas must be used ; for small arti- 
cles, such as slippers, bags, or borders, single Berlin wool 
is preferable ; for larger ones fleecy wool or double Berlin 
wool (the latter, however, is much more expensive). For 
Gobelin stitch and tent stitch undivided canvas (not Pene- 
lope) is required. Purse silk is often used for the latter ; 
it is more brilliant than floss silk or filoselle. Floss silk is 
generally used for other stitches because it covers the 
thread of the canvas better than purse silk ; it is, however, 
often replaced by filoselle, which is a much cheaper mate- 



"3 

rial. Moss wool is hardly ever used. Before beginning 
to work upon a piece of canvas the raw edges must be 
hemmed or sewn over with wool. Care must be taken 
not to crumple the canvas in the course of the work. It 
is best to roll one end of the canvas upon a round piece of 
wood while the other end is kept down upon the table with 
a lead cushion. Handsome artistic patterns should always 
be worked in a frame. When you undertake to work a 
large pattern begin in the centre, and complete one half 
before you commence the other. Always work the stitches 
in the same direction, from the top downwards — this is 
very essential to the beauty and regularity of the pattern. 

Always begin with the color which is used the oftenest ; 
those colors that lose their dye in working must be put in 
last. When the pattern is finished begin the grounding. 
The wool must not be drawn too tightly, otherwise the 
threads of the canvas appear. If the wool is too coarse 
for the canvas, one long stitch is to be made from left to 
right as far as the particular color is to be worked, and 
over this long stitch, cross back in the usual way. 

The plainest stitch in Berlin wool work is the common 
cross stitch ; illustrations i to 7 show varieties of the same. 

We now proceed in the following pages to show, by 
description in writing and by most careful illustration, all 
the stitches which are used in Berlin Work. These are 
numerous, but neither too great in number nor too simple 
or too elaborate in execution for those who aspire to be- 
come Berlin workers. 



II 4 

Illustration i. The common cross stitch is worked 
in rows backwards and forwards over 2 threads in height 
and 2 in width (square of the canvas) in straight lines ; 




No. 1.— Common Cross Stitch. 

the 1st row is worked from left to right ; the 2nd row, 
which completes the stitches, from right to left. Illustra- 
tion 1 shows 2 rows of completed stitches and 1 row in 
workinsr. 




No. 2.— Long Cross Stitch. 



Illustration 2 shows the long cross stitch. It is 
worked like the preceding one, only over 4 threads in 
height and 2 in width. 



"5 

Illustration 3 shows a long cross stitch, which is 
worked like the preceding one, except that 2 threads are 
missed between 2 stitches, and in the next row the stitches 

-■'111. HII llll 1111 llll 11 II 







Long Cross Stitch. 



are worked between those in the preceding row. This 
stitch is not worked in rows backwards and forwards ; 
each stitch is completed before beginning the next. 




No. 4— Slanting Cross Stitch. 

Illustration 4. The long slanting cross stitch is 



n6 

worked like No. 2 in rows backwards and foi wards ; the 
1 st row is slanting, the 2nd is straight. The places for 
inserting the needle and for drawing it out arc marked on 
the illustration with a cross and dot. 




No. 5.— Datuusk Stitcb. 

Illustration 5. The damask stitch is worked in sin- 
gle rows from left to right, over 4 threads in height and 2 
in width. The stitches of one row come between those 
of the next. The cross and dot shown in illustration are 
where to insert and draw out the needle. 




No. C— Rep Stitcl 



Illustration 6 shows the rep stitch — a variety of the 



n7 

preceding. The first half of it is worked slantways over 6 
threads in height and 2 in width, the second half, like the 
common cross stitch, from right to left over the 3rd and 
4th of the 6 canvas threads ; each stitch is completed at 
once. The illustration shows the last stitch being worked ; 
the first half of the stitch is completed ; the dot shows 
where the needle must be inserted for the second half; it 
is drawn out where the cross is placed on illustration. 




No. 7.— Lcvintliau Stitch 



Illustration 7. The leviathan stitch consists of I 
slanting and 1 straight cross stitch over 4 threads in height 
and 4 in width. Each stitch is completed immediately. 
No. 7 shows one half of the stitch completed and the wool 
as it must be placed for working the first half of the 
straight cross stitch. 



nS 

Illustration 8. The leviathan stitch is worked 
exactly like the preceding, only the stitches are not worked 




No. 8.— Leviathan Stitch. 

on the same threads in. the different rows, as may be seen 
from illustration. 




No. 9.— Double Leviathan Stitch 



Illustration 9. The double leviathan stitch is a va- 
riety of the preceding ', it is worked over 6 threads in 



ii 9 

height and as many in width. Make a common cross 
stitch over these 6 threads, then a long cross stitch in height 
and a long cross stitch in width. Illustration 9 shows 2 
stitches completed and 1 being worked. 

Ill] II If H 11 H 11-11 1( H 11 11 ]\JL 



V! ■ '. "■ -'-: • .-- ■,-■ -■ " -- : 



■^lasiaisisjS Hi 



IHHHHHHmfflF 

No 10.— Tent Stitch. 

Illustration 10. Tent stitch. Each stitch is worked 
over 1 stitch in height and 1 in width, and is worked in 
rows from left to right. 




No. 11.— Slanting Gobelin Stitch. 

Illustration ii. The slanting Gobelin stitch is 
worked on undivided canvas ; each stitch is worked over 3 
threads in height and 2 in width, divided from the next 
stitch only by an interval of 1 thread. 



Illustration 12. The straight Gobelin stitch is 
worked over 2 threads in height with 1 thread between, so 




;Ut Gobelin Stitch. 



that the stitches appear more raised ; they are worked over 
thin cord or a thin piece of wool. 




No. 13.— liaised or Velvet Stitch. 



Illustration 13. The raised or velvet stitch is worked 
over small round wooden meshes, and forms small raised 
loops. Take 2 similar meshes and as many threaded need- 
lees as there are colors in the work ; make first a slanting 



stitch, as for the beginning of the common cross stitch, but 
instead of drawing out the needle straight under the place 
where it was inserted, draw it out exactly at the same place, 
so as to form a slanting stitch on the right on the wrong 
side ; then begin to work over i mesh ; insert the needle 
above it and draw it out in a slanting direction underneath. 
On the wrong side of the work a regular cross stitch is 
formed. Illustration 13 shows 2 rows of velvet stitch 
completed and 2 rows being worked ; the first of the latter 
is yet on the mesh, the second being worked so as to show 
the position of the wool upon the mesh. Observe that the 
rows of the velvet stitch are worked upwards, and that 2 
meshes are necessary, because the lower one must not be 
drawn out before the next row is completed. The loops 
may be cut open if preferred. 



No. 14— Plaited Stitch. 

Illustration 14. The plaited stitch is worked like 



122 



the herring-bone stitch. Each stitch is worked over 4 
threads in height and 4 in width. Illustration 14 shows 
one part of the plaited stitch completed, and the place 
where the needle is to be inserted for the next stitch is 
marked by a dot. For the next stitch the needle is carried 
under the 2 threads below the stitches of the preceding 
row. 




No.l5.-PlushStitcU. 



Illustration 15. The plush stitch is also worked 
upwards. Begin to work a common cross stitch, then 
insert the needle through the canvas over 2 threads in 
height and 2 in width, downwards in a slanting direction. 
Do not draw the wool close up, but leave a loop hanging 
down about four-fifths of an inch long, and make 1 more 
common cross stitch to fasten the loop. This stitch can 



also be worked over flat meshes. Work a common cross 
stitch at the end of every row. When the work is com- 
pleted the loops are cut open and clipped, as may be seen 
from illustration. 




No. 16-Berlin Work Border, 



Illustrations 16 to 18. Three Berlin wool work 
borders for trimming baskets, &c. No. 16. — The 2 outer 
rows which edge the border are worked in long straight 
cross stitch ; each stitch is crossed in the centre with aback 
stitch. The grounding consists of 2 rows of Vandykes 
placed opposite each other, which are formed of long 
straight stitches of different lengths. The squares in the 
centre are formed in the same way, and are completed in 



the middle with a knot. No. 17. — The ground is worked 
in cross stitch, the raised patterns in satin stitch ; in the 




l^^^^fflfiWII^W 



middle of each pattern there is a cross stitch. The outer 
rows are worked in half cross stitch over 2 threads in 



I2 5 

height and 4 in width in 2 different shades. No. iS.—> 
The petals of the flowers are worked over 4 threads in 
height and in width, consisting of 4 slanting stitches. In 
the centre the flower is completed by a knot ; the ground 
in cross stitch is completed on either side by a narrow 




agm Mj 



^ firl RnRn nnnfl i 
No. 18.— Berlin Work Border, 




border of scallops, formed of slanting stitches divided in 
the centre by 1 slanting stitch. It is easy to work these 
stitches from illustration. The choice of colors depend 
upon what use the border is intended for and upon 
personal taste. 



THE LADY'S BOOK OF 

Knitting and Crochet, 

SEVENTH THOUSAND NOW READY. 



Read what the press says of it : — 

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" Gives directions for over one hundred new and easy patterns." — Our Contributor. 

This work is invaluable to every lady who is interested in fancy 
knitting and crochet work. 

For sale by all booksellers, news-agents, and all dealers in trim- 
mings, or mailed, postage free, on receipt of the price, 50 cents, 
by the publisher, 

J. HENRY SYMONDS, 

No. 68 Devonshire Street, - BOSTON, MASS. 



In press, and will be issued soon, " The Guide to Honiton 
Lace Making," uuiform in style and price with " The Lady's 
Book of Knitting- and Crochet," aud " The Guide to 
Needlework." This work will be for sale by the trade, or, will 
be mailed, postage free, on receipt of price, by 

J. HENEY SYMONDS, Publisher, 

No. 68 Devonshire Street, - BOSTON, MASS. 



GUIDE TO NEEDLEWORK, 

CONTAINING 

EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS FOR EVERY 

KIND OF STITCH, IN PLAIN AND 

FANCY NEEDLEWORK; 

; . j 

TOGETHER WITH 

FULL DIRECTIONS FOR CUTTING AND ! 
MA KING UNDER CL O THE S ; 

I 

TO WHICH ARE ADDED 

COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS IN EMBROIDERY 
AND BERLIN WORK. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS. 



BOSTON: 

J. HENRY SYMONDS, PUBLISHER, 

68 Devonshire Street. 



^? > > > 









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